Abandoned
by Spomione
Summary: Left behind by the people she thought were her friends, Luna opens up to someone new and finds the first real friend she's ever had.


**Author's Note: This was written for Season 6, Round 3 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction competition. I am a reserve filling in for the Tutshill Tornadoes' Seeker. The prompt which inspired the story was _Home Alone._**

* * *

Luna Lovegood skipped quickly through the corridors of Hogwarts toward the Ravenclaw common room. She'd been in the library since nine o'clock that morning, thinking she had plenty of time to get her Potions essay done. Now she was almost late to meet the other girls in her year for the Quidditch match. That essay certainly wasn't writing itself, but still – she couldn't believe she'd lost track of the time. It must've been the Wrackspurts.

She had been so thrilled when the girls all made plans to go to the game. They never spoke to her much, but she'd overheard them one afternoon discussing the upcoming match. They were huddled in a tight group on the opposite side of the room from where Luna sat on her bed. Of course, Luna hadn't been included in the conversation.

 _Maybe I should say something,_ Luna thought, glancing over at the girls. _Maybe they think I don't like them, and that's why they don't talk to me._

She leaned forward and waited for a break in the conversation. "Can I come with you to the Quidditch game?" she piped up. "I've only ever been to one game before. Daddy said that the referee was getting confused by the Wrinkly Pinkbats flying around, so we haven't gone since."

The girls turned to stare at her in unison. Several seconds passed in silence. Luna smiled hopefully, though inside her stomach was churning. At last, one girl named Sophie replied.

"Um, well, I don't know if you'd like the game very much," she said. "I mean, wouldn't you be worried about the…the Tickly Stinkrats again?"

"Wrinkly Pinkbats," Luna corrected. "And no, they aren't very common in this area. Besides, Madam Hooch doesn't seem like the type of person who would let them bother her."

"Right," Sophie said. "Well, I suppose you can come."

"Great!" Luna exclaimed, her stomach immediately unknotting itself. Her grin widened as she buried herself in the latest edition of the _Quibbler_ her father had sent her. She didn't see the girls glare at Sophie, and her humming drowned out Sophie's whispered defense.

"It won't be so bad," Sophie said. "She's always got her head in the clouds – it'll be like she isn't even there. She probably won't remember that she asked to come with us in the first place."

* * *

Luna ran the last few paces to Ravenclaw Tower. She answered the riddle as fast as she could and dashed into the first year girls' dormitory. "I'm here," she started to call out, but the words died on her lips. The room was empty.

 _They must be running late too. Perfect,_ Luna thought. She plopped down on her bed to wait. Five minutes passed, then ten, and finally Luna had to admit that the girls probably weren't coming back to the dorm.

Concerned yet undeterred, Luna returned to the common room. She found it empty save for a sixth year boy curled up on a chair with a book.

"Excuse me," she said. "Did you notice a group of first years come through here?"

The boy barely even looked up from his book. "Yeah, I think I saw them about twenty minutes ago."

"Did they happen to leave a message for me – Luna Lovegood?"

"No. Sorry."

"Did you hear them say anything about me?"

"No."

Luna could tell that the boy was growing increasingly annoyed by her, so she muttered a thank you and walked out of the room.

Doing her best to blink back her tears, Luna wandered aimlessly through the corridors. Those girls had actually forgotten about her – or they'd chosen to leave without her. There was no other way to explain it. Maybe she'd been wrong about the girls all along. They weren't worried that she didn't like them. _They_ simply didn't like _her._

At last, Luna's emotions overwhelmed her, and she ducked into the nearest classroom. She collapsed onto the floor, pulled her knees to her chest, and let the tears spill over.

Hardly thirty seconds had passed when Luna heard a faint tapping on the door. She rubbed her eyes furiously, wiping away all traces of tears. "Is someone there?" she asked with as steady a voice as she could muster.

The door creaked open. A girl poked her head into the room. Even in the darkened room, her fiery red hair and freckles stood out. Luna was fairly certain she recognized the girl: Ginny Weasley, a Gryffindor first year.

"Hi," Ginny said. "Mind if I come in?"

Luna shook her head, and Ginny settled beside her.

"What are you doing around here?" Luna asked. "Were you on your way to the Quidditch game?"

Ginny opened her mouth to respond, but then paused for a moment before actually speaking. "No. I was…looking for somewhere to practice for Charms class, and I couldn't help noticing that you were crying. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but is there anything I can do for you?"

Luna shrugged. "I was supposed to go to the Quidditch game with the girls in my dormitory, but they left without me. I think I always knew deep down that they didn't like me. I just never had to admit it until now."

"Oh, Luna, that's terrible!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised. I know I'm weird compared to them."

"You're not weird!" Luna stared at Ginny, who sighed and amended her statement. "All right, you're a little weird. But so what? You shouldn't stop being yourself to please those girls. They don't know what they're missing."

"Easy for you to say," Luna said.

"Believe me, I understand what you're going through. Plenty of people avoid me too. Maybe it's because of my brothers. Maybe it's just me. Who knows?"

Luna was in shock, but looking at Ginny, she could tell that the other girl was being completely honest.

"Sometimes I wonder if it's this House system that causes problems," Ginny said suddenly. "I mean, it's not completely terrible. It's good to have like-minded people around, and they can be a nice support system. But the thing is, I think that everyone gets an idea about what a Ravenclaw should be like, or what a Gryffindor should be like. And if you don't fit that idea…no one knows what to make of you."

"See, what you just said tells me that you'd be a great Ravenclaw," Luna said.

"Thanks." Ginny grinned. "But I guess I'm happy in Gryffindor. All in the family, you know."

Luna's eyes widened. "Everyone in your family has been in Gryffindor?"

"Yup. All six of my brothers, plus Mum and Dad," Ginny said with a nod. "It's a lot to live up to."

"I think you'll be fine," Luna said. "More than fine – you'll be amazing. You don't have to be the perfect Gryffindor. Just be yourself."

Ginny chuckled. "I suppose I should follow my own advice, shouldn't I?"

Luna nodded vigorously, and they lapsed into silence. To her relief, Luna found that she didn't feel like crying anymore.

"Oh, by the way, if you ever need to give those girls a taste of their own medicine, I can help you with that," Ginny said with a mischievous grin.

Luna couldn't help giggling a little. "You can?"

"Of course! My older brothers Fred and George love pranks. And I've watched them pull off their tricks my entire life, so I've learned from the best." Ginny's smile faded. "Seriously, though – are you going to be okay?"

"Definitely," Luna said. "As Daddy always said, when the Wamplesnurgs knock you down, you always get right back up again."

"That's the spirit," Ginny said. "Now how about we go to that Quidditch match?" She stood up, brushed herself off, and started to leave. Luna got to her feet more slowly and hesitated to follow Ginny out.

"Ginny, wait," Luna said. Ginny turned back to look at her. "You were already going to the Quidditch game earlier, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I was" Ginny admitted.

"Then why did you come to check on me?"

Ginny shrugged. "There'll be more Quidditch games. You seemed like you needed a friend, and that was more important."

"A friend?" Luna repeated.

"Yeah," Ginny said. "A friend."

Luna's heart leaped. She took Ginny's hand and left the classroom, skipping down the corridor.


End file.
